etraya | un: ulysses

[On the latest feed: a man with combed hair, a clean face, a mismatched suit and a pair of rimless glasses. Video is streaming from an office where one might spot a painting of an anguished man. He closes his eyes and fixes his lenses on his nose, looking away while leaning forward. His preference is for messaging, but today he is showing his face. He inhales in a calm and controlled manner. Facial cues encourage trust. He prefers to remain unobserved, but this should encourage a positive impression.

Unless you’re Batman, apparently.]

Well, that was a terrible couple of weeks.

In any case, my apologies for the intrusion. I was managing the aftermath and hesitant to reach out until today. I have nothing further to add except that I understand you might feel nervous. But if you resist those feelings, you will have to face them again, and when they catch you…

[He swallows his sentence and focuses on his reason for posting, grounding himself in the present moment by inhaling.]

Back home I treat people for support with their mental health. I had excellent resources there but here I can offer nothing but a listening ear. Perhaps you would like to take me up on that? It’s not like you need insurance and sometimes it’s good to talk.

Feel free to contact me. I'm here to help.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tomorrow is suitable.

Oh, that almost makes me want to reschedule. But you know how I feel about intellectual dishonesty.

Does an early start sound good?

It is tempting to be contrary.

The earlier the better. I prefer to start the day before dawn.

And with that comes the question; is it intellectually dishonest to be contrary for the purpose of discovery?

And so do I. But one must practice one's rituals. Seven in the morning should be fine.

No, merely socially dishonest.

I will arrive at seven.

What human hasn't been socially dishonest at least once in their life?

I'll forward the address. Be seeing you.

Any human who has only been socially dishonest once would be a paragon, truly. Unless they were 8 months old.

I look forward to it.

Well, children demonstrate the capacity for lying from the age of two or three. Toddlers outright deny their behaviour without realising their mouths are stained with chocolate. People dislike saying it but lying is a natural human behaviour. Even animals demonstrate some capacity for deception.

It's a fascinating topic, really.

At least in one respect my brother was a prodigy then.

[ In that he was a very natural and adept liar. ]

I agree it's natural behavior. It is interesting how many social mores are simply ritualized lying. Or how much of politeness revolves around pretending you do not see a lie.

[ It is exhausting. ]

[So exhausting.]

Communication. That's all it comes down to. People can be so poor at it they interpret criticism as condemnation and compliments as criticism. They cannot handle their emotions or those of others. So they need masks to function and pretend they are who they are not.

But what are emotions if not wordless communication?

Edited 2025-10-16 16:50 (UTC)

How many masks do you wear, monsieur?

Some things are deeper than words and thusly require a different form of communication. Emotions are useful for communicating with oneself more than others. Others often misinterpret them, as you say.

Just the one.

In any case, who is to blame for that misinterpretation? The one feeling the emotion or the one witnessing it? I would think both is a possibility. Since we can misread one of our own emotions as another - or not feel anything at all.

I'm not sure I believe you.

It's situation dependent. If the one feeling acts deceptively, it less the fault of the one witnessing. (Though there is a point where taking people at face value becomes naive.) If the one witnessing does not wish to see the truth and so they contort it into a more comforting story, then it is the fault of the witness.

You don't have to.

[In short, he follows his own standards, and those deem his answer sufficient.]

Well, my vocation demands I read feelings accurately, even if they are deceptive. Plus one can lie subconsciously because of multiple reasons; from pride to inadequacy and shame. Not that I find myself condemning it in most respects. It's something of a puzzle to solve, really.

[In short, he has to use his brain.]

Which puzzles do you find the most satisfying?

Those you cannot see, hear, smell, taste or touch. Yet you know they exist.

[Like the mind.]

You enjoy a challenge in gathering evidence then?

Yes I do. It's a wonderful limitation to work with. People believe limitations are something to be overcome, without realizing their importance in helping us grow.

They are both. Limitations are something to be overcome or, occasionally, lamented. They may also spur new heights of creativity. Working in watercolor, for example, requires one to think and plan a piece differently than in oils.

Well, you're the one who'd know best. I appreciate art and its contribution to human culture and progress, but I always found myself expression myself through alternate methods.

[Mental torture and violence!]

Through data tables?

In some respects. I find data to be a more perfect means of understanding the world than talking to the people within it.

[People. God, don't get him started on people.]

Is it more perfect, or are you simply excluding anything messy?

Why would I exclude the mess? I enjoy the challenge.

[He's fond of puzzles, remember?]

And yet there are things that cannot be captured in data tables. People are wearying, but their banal nature is a part of the world.

(no subject)

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